Monday, August 10, 2009

hello boys and girls. today's guest post is brought to you by Mr. Ego Raptor.

There's a 60% chance Randall is friends with this guy.

Going into this guest blog, I was terrified that Randall Munroe might actually put forth some effort into his comic and force me into the awkward position of enjoying the comic. But, thankfully, Randall is generous and made his web comic that I hate based on a commercial that I hate, giving my hate such laser-like intensity that Emperor Palpatine himself would say "Chill out, man. It's not worth getting upset about." So why is this comic so bad?

For those of you who may not watch 5 hours of television a night, there is a beer called Dos Equis. "Who are they?" you might ask, and the answer is "I don't know" because no one knows who they are without googling them to sound like a smart ass in the comment sections. So Dos Equis decided to build brand recognition by making a series of commercials called "The Most Interesting Man in the World" which is a series of unfunny Chuck Norris jokes. But Dos Equis couldn't afford Chuck Norris as that would require a budget. So they hired some guy that vaguely resembles Sean Connery and filmed him doing absurd things, like carrying a fox away from British people and fighting ninjas. Unfortunately, the writers never saw the footage, so the lame Chuck Norris jokes don't match up with the absurd footage. The commercial is bad because it's derivative, talentless, and lazy.

But when it comes to being derivative, talentless, and lazy, Randall Munroe shall not be outdone! He decides to make a derivative of the derivative Chuck Norris joke (a second derivative, for those of you unfamiliar with the horrors of Calculus [can we call this comic Chuck Norris ' ' ? -carl]). Randall's idea is to be ironic, describing mundane feats while the other jokes describe incredible feats. But the joke falls flat on its face because the descriptions of the Least Interesting Man (henceforth called Limmy) are unfunny. There's nothing enjoyable you can take from this comic. A far funnier idea would be to describe Limmy's mundane behavior in a grandiose fashion (i.e. He can check his e-mail with one hand tied behind his back, He can stride while chewing Stride, he can upload pictures of stick figures to the internet and call it a comic, etc.). It takes no effort to make boring stuff sound boring. But effort is in short supply in XKCD these days. Especially when you look at what he draws.

While I criticize the commercial for never matching what I see with what I hear, at least I'm seeing unusual stuff. The commercial lets my imagination run wild compared with the infinite blandness of Munroe's comic. The first panel is just two stick figures standing there, acting so boring that not even Randall can finish the sentence. However, not to be out-lazied, the second panel is just one stick figure. But the third panel out-lazies them all, by being an honest to God paste job of an earlier xkcd.

Okay, maybe not an exact paste. The first panel at least illustrates two arms.

By the fourth panel, he's abandoned all hope of doing anything remotely memorable in this comic. He includes as many stick chicks in there as possible in the panel with no regard for blocking, for no apparent reason. Limmy also seems to be looking off in a random direction, babbling to a horribly illustrated cup (I know art isn't XKCD's strongpoint, but I've seen pre-schoolers draw better than that).

This comic is terrible because it rips off a terrible commercial which rips off a five year old running joke from the internet, which is inspired by Sidekicks. Earlier this summer, we could count on Randall ripping off other people's original work. But now that's too much effort for him.

The title of this comic (and this post) make me want to try to apply the "interesting number paradox," except that it's possible that this man/comic is so un-interesting that even the "interesting-ness" of being the least-interesting man/comic can't push it past the next-least-interesting man/comic.

But yeah, I didn't laugh at this one. I don't think I would even if I got the reference.

I laughed at your joke though, mainly because of the whole "What Do You Mean, It's Not Awesome?" thing but also because I'm Australian and I find the idea of a gum actually called "Stride" fucking hilarious.

Anon: I totally thought this was a joke off of something like the interesting number paradox as well, before I read that it was about a commercial. This man is the least interesting man in the world...isn't that interesting??? i kind of like it more that way...

Today's criticism called Randall "lazy", yet it called a parody a "rip-off", which is pretty much the LAZIEST thing ever in terms of criticism. Parody and plagiarism are worlds apart, and confusing them is either sheer dumbness or dishonesty.Yep, today's xkcd was a parody. A pretty bland and unfunny parody, in my opinion. I'm pretty sure it could be worked into something clever, but the strip as it is now is pretty dumb and dull; it's a plain inversion of the actual ad, without anything smart going on. Maybe the "blog with four posts" thing was good, but that's it. I really disliked that strip.

I've said this in the last comment section, but it pertains here. For a person who enjoys the commercials, other than the few Chuck Norris-esque jokes, the humor is derived from the clever misuse of phrases (example: 'He lives vicariously through himself', or 'he can speak russian, in french'). But Randall didn't spend the time to think up any clever wordplay, or hell, he doesn't even bother coming up with some lame internet memes to replace the wordplay, he just puts in some wholy uninteresting and uninspired subversions of the original joke.

Full disclosure: I don't understand Chuck Norris jokes, I mean, I hardly even understand why people think he is even that awe-inspiring. He's no Clint Eastwood.

It ain't a copy-paste. Mr. Raptor's image caption concedes this. (Consider also the difference in legs and angle of monitor.) It's inadvertent repetition. Draw enough stick figures at a computer, especially with a, how to say, 'minimalist' art style, and eventually there will be images looking the same.

he can upload pictures of stick figures to the internet and call it a comic, etc - 'the least interesting webcomic in the world' is a rewrite waiting to happen.

THIS POST SUCKS. Not just because it's written by faux-Egoraptor. Yeah I don't care if he does a space in between. I don't even care if this faux-Egoraptor came first. Faux-Egoraptor is lame, lame, lameness. The comic was okay, kinda humorous if you know the ad. This post was...boring and unfunny. Sorry, faux-Egoraptor.

james: Hmm... You're right. On second, more calmer consideration I may have overreacted. A little. Sorry, everyone irritated by this. Not sorry, Randall. There is still too much similarity for me. I dunno, maybe he was looking through his archives when he got the idea?

I actually found this comic a bit funny. I didn't laugh, but I almost smiled. Maybe that's because the commercials are aired regularly over here, and so I got the reference right away. The TF2 reference was blatant pandering, though.

I expected Fernie to say this, and that I would get annoyed because I feel the same way and I hate agreeing with Fernie, but: how the hell is that a copy paste? It's a guy at a desk. He often draws a guy at a desk, and consequently the picture of the guy at the desk often looks like the other pictures of the guy at the desk. I mean, this is like criticizing Charles Schulz for always drawing Snoopy on the dog house the exact same way.

Not that Randy is in any way comparable to Charles Schulz, naturally.

Fun fact: if I was a poster on the XKCD forums I would have called them "Mr. Munroe" and "Mr. Schulz", because that's just the sort of thing they'd do.

Anyway, apart from that I agree, especially about how the guy in the last panel is apparently talking to nothing while holding a glass of whatever. And the Stride thing made me laugh.

Hey, its M again, unless I'm lieing. You'll never know. But at least this time I bothered to register myself as something, so you three people who saw my previous post will have to be stuck in endless turmoil over if I'm the true M or not. First off, a few things about the premise of the comic, Dos Aquis is a chep Mexican beer and their spokesperson is supposed to look like an aging Zorro or something. They seem to be trying to establish it as a recurring series of commercials. Don't get me wrong, its occasionally funny, but every single commercial entity I've seen has been characterized in some way so you want to see the commercial. Like the Geico Geko, or the cavemen, or that one baby for the investment company that sounds like a stoned college student. They all have a pre established premise that they build on. With Señor Dos Equis is just some bum looking pretty while they talk about him. Hopefully some of you will divine what I'm trying to imply: Characterization has to occur for quality comedy to follow. Think about that Randall, as you cry yourself to sleep cause some crazy guy made a group that doesn't wuv you. Anyway, back to the comic. I like two of the panels, and I hated the other two. I think that Randall tried to cram a shitload of jokes in so everyone would have something to like. In honor of Dos Equis, I will be numbering thins in spanish, courtesy of U2's vertigo.

Uno- He thinks he's fucking important and Rambles to his friends, like Randall- Hmmm.... This convienently lacks a punch line. Its just about how people like to talk about their dreams. I'm pretty sure theres an xkcd about that, but I'm goddamn lazy. You go look it up.

Dos- Fuckin French- This one makes me angry, not cause of the joke, but because of how many idiots think they speak french. I actually do speak french, and when morons hear a french accent they seem to think its some secret club of idiots who took half a semester in high school. They blunder up to me with an accent thats so nasal it makes it sound like they just took a bumb of cocaine and slowly murdering a bawn jore as it grinds its way out of their mouth.... God I hope this isn't one of Randalls subtle self referencing comics.

Tres- Lonely, hopeless blogs- This one made me laugh, not cause it was inherently astounding or new, but because its obvious. It wasnt a 'OMFG RANDALL TEH MIND REEDER!!!1!' moment, but I've seen blogs like that. Nobody loves blogs (this siteisnt a blog, its a review, cause I said so), and I suppose thats why I find it funny. Who cares if its obvious or not, I like it. Maybe this is proof of randall trying a picto blog and it just dieing, like every blog ever.

Catorce- Randall approving binge drinking- This one got a laugh out of me at first, because I though 'Christ, what a nerd' but it has a creepy underlying feel. Firstly, the art is crap, but on the third squint I realized its supposed to be a bar, why he's at a chair and drinking beer out of a cup when we already know Randall can draw a bottle (See- the president binge drinking to cure our nations ills comic). Second, it implies that those of us who don't drink in large amounts are losers. I don't call them losers, I call them convent rides home.

Anonymous: This blag does not seem to be very welcoming... Roberto: U R GAYAnonymous: Perhaps your time could be better spent? Transform destructive energy into creative energy?A-Man-DUH: FAG Y DONT U LOL HIPPOPOTAMUSY

Do you not see that you are WASTING your time by trying to villify a legend (the great Randall Patrick Munroe, of course)? What are you trying to accomplish? Are you simple-minded anarchists or is there a more reasonable objective to your acts of supreme evil?

Attempting to dispel the illusions of your delusions is NOT "hippopotamusy", it is, infact, heroism. I am impressed, Anonymous.

Don't falter. Join my side, let the forces of right and order triumph!

"I expected Fernie to say this, and that I would get annoyed because I feel the same way and I hate agreeing with Fernie"

Heh heh, I'm glad I didn't mention it, because other people have addressed the issue far better than I could. The "parody/rip-off" issue irked me far more, because I've seen that mistake in many other places and I think it's quite fatal. Today's review wasn't bad, there were some very valid points, but unfortunately it was spoiled by some lazy or asinine parts.But why do you hate to agree with me, MAAAN? :( Of course I speak in xkcd's favour when the strip is good, and I point out the flaws in the reviews EVEN when the strip is bad (which was the case today), but I don't go around distorting things just to try to like the comic. Well... okay, sometimes I sound like that. Yeah, okay, I'm probably annoying as hell.

1: The least interesting man in the world does boring things.2: 2 images of dudes sitting at computers appeared in FREAKIN' XKCD!3: A cup with water in it is simple when viewed from the sideand4: That when arms held at the same height, and viewed from the side, one is behind the other. (BTW, you CAN see two arms.)

Oh, Fernie. I think you're annoying, and while I don't think you go around distorting things to try to like the comic, I think you do go around distorting things what people said they dislike about comics. But that thing about hating to agree with you was.. I don't know, tongue in cheekish. I guess.

begone from my web-site! never sully this bandwidth with your chubby, butter-soaked fingers again! this is a place for serious discussion, not blatant sycophancy! do not make me call the authorities. I have warned you, Willy Huge. I have warned you.

I didn't get this one, because they don't have this commercial in my country. In fact, here in Russia it is forbidden to have people in TV beer commercials! But yeah, now that I watched it, I think it was another lazy joke from Randall that fell flat on its face. It's just as boring as the guy that it describes.

This... wow. I don't even know. Mostly I'm just sort of curious what Fernie will say about it.

Because I have nothing constructive to say, I'll just post the actual proof that there are infinitely many primes.

This will be a proof by way of contradiction.

Suppose, for the sake of the contradiction, that there are finitely many primes. There must, therefore, be a largest prime, P. Consider the product of all primes. This product is an integer, by multiplicative closure of the integers, and it is larger than P. Call this product F.

Consider F+1. F+1 has no prime divisors from 2 to P. 2 does not divide F+1, because 2 is a divisor of F, and so F+1 divided by 2 leaves a remainder of 1. 3 is not a divisor of F+1, because 3 is a divisor of F and so F+1 divided by 3 leaves a remainder. In fact, EVERY prime leaves a remainder of 1 when you divide F+1 by that prime. Therefore, either F+1 has no prime divisors (in which case F+1 is larger than P) or it has a prime divisor which is larger than P.

This is a contradiction, since we already supposed that P is the largest prime number. Therefore, there cannot be finitely many prime numbers.

The wording is kind of wonky since I just wrote it on the fly and it's been a while since I had a proof class.

The thought bubble on the last panel should have been in the first panel. It really ruins the flow where it is.

Otherwise I thought the comic was decent. Not laugh out loud funny or anything, but fits xkcd's shtick (the shtick that isn't deeply problematic like "stalking" or "madcap references" -- this does reference math but the reference itself is unimportant).

I should probably have specified things like: The set of all primes is non-empty since 2 is a prime.

And to be really formal I should've had stuff about the division algorithm in there, and pointed out that a remainder of 1 (which is greater than or equal to zero and strictly less than the divisor) is unique and therefore it CANNOT be evenly divided.

Mal, specifying that stuff would be silly. Unless you were working with a general PID, in which case it's pretty vitally important.

There was an almost creepy GOOMH feeling with this one (like, less "get out of my head, Randall" and more "are you fucking stalking me, Randall?"), but I can't actually tell you why because of my desire to retain some level of anonymity.

I'd also like to point out that if you don't already know the standard proof that there are infinitely many primes, this comic tells you ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY NOTHING. I've written proofs in iambic gorram pentameter before, I know for a fact you can do better than that. (Search YT for "One Geometry" if you want to see an even betterer example, which I didn't write, but wish I had.)

I can vouch that "sleep-dep" is genuine MIT argot, so it's not that he made it up on the spot. (It does usually occur in the construction "sleep-depped," though, and it doesn't make it not annoying.)

Amanda: heh, I don't really think Randy's Internet Stalking me. There's a thread on a mathematical blog discussing a problem related to prime numbers (one that wasn't solved 2500 years ago, though) on which I posted a few sleep-deprived comments with the caveat that I was sleep-depped. Nothing haiku-like, though, and certainly nothing involving, like, anyone flying. Still, I have no actual reason to believe that Randy saw the thread in question, or knows I exist or anything. (:-/)

Wait is the joke meant to be the haiku or the fact that sleep deprivation has WACKY effects on people?

It seems to me that Randall decided to make a math-haiku (or had found a math-haiku and wanted to make a comic about it). He then discovered it was boring on its own (boring for a webcomic, anyway) so he added in a flying lecturer and changed the subject to sleep deprivation instead, causing either of the two possible subjects of the joke to fail.

Uh of all the things to get upset at, "sleep dep"? It was my impression it was a fairly common phrase. Searching for it gets very productive results, even. I don't think he intended to be at all obscure or exclusive.

Not to say I like this comic. It sucked. Hard. It's a beautiful proof that he crammed into a crappy poem and an unfunny joke. Wonderful, Randall. Just wonderful.

I saw this in an interview with another webcomic artist and found this particular question relevant:

------------------------

What do you have to say, to those who are negative about your comic?

More power to them. Cartooning can be a solitary task and it’s easy to develop tunnel vision. Without constructive criticism, a writer might not know he’s headed towards a cliff until he’s over it. The people on my forum help keep me honest, and the comic wouldn’t be near as good without all the input I get from the readers about what I’m doing right and wrong.

------------------------

Compare that to Randall's view of criticism (try and make the person feel bad) and decide which is the better approach.

Why would you ever stay up for over 48 hours (on purpose), unless you were trying to set a world record or something? The guy in the comic seems to imply that he does this recreationally, and on a regular basis. As a long-time fan of sleeping, I do not grok.

Yeah, I immediately jumped to my hazy recollections of Euclid's proof when I saw the comic, then I actually read it properly and got really confused. The fact that it talks about top-prime's divisors takes it from past unhelpful for those who haven't seen the proof before to actually just wrong, top-prime's divisors have nothing to do with anything.

Either way yours is much better! I was trying to think of an accurate haiku and failing abysmally...

I actually like Freefall, when I can remember to check it, because although the humor is really simple and the author's anti-bureaucrat axe-grinding is kind of annoying, there's a really interesting world in which it's set and the science is actually all pretty valid and interesting and I like learning more about what's going on with it. Plus it hasn't yet tripped my carefully-calibrated Objectivist gauge, which alerts me when an author is trying to out-Rand Ayn Rand.

Okay, I hate this strip. It's a bloody mess of half-ideas, goddamn haiku poetry (is there anything more cliché on the whole Internet?), wonky pacing and a HORRIBLY misworded proof. Just look at that: it tells you to multiply the divisors of the "top prime". Wut? That proof makes no sense, as it was pointed out in the comic's thread by some people. If you suppose the "top prime" is 3, multiply its divisors (1 * 3 = 3) and add one you'll find 4, whose factor is 2. Therefore 3 is the top prime? What the HELL, Randall?

I legitimately enjoyed this comic. I found it to be witty and clever, combining the humor present in juxtaposing math and bad poetry. Randall Munroe has such talent at mixing genres! I believe that this particular comic has entitled Mr. Munroe to be known as the Michael Curtiz of the comic world.

The fact that this comic is largely based on the further humor present in staying up late and experiencing hallucinations means that there is even another level of depth present here. We as the reader do not known for certain whether or not this comic is even real, as it could exist entirely in the sleep deprived characters head.

Oh it is so clever! So amusing! I think I will now proceed to make XKCD my homepage so I can see it everytime I open up Internet Explorer 6!

I actually kind of liked this comic. Maybe I'm swayed by the fact that I actually enjoy this commercial, which I aired semi-regularly around here (and the beer it advertises isn't bad either). But compared to the other xkcds we've had recently this is.... decent.

I disagree with most of the poster's criticism. 1. it's a parody not a rip-off as many have pointed out. 2.You called the girls at the end pointless, but the point is that they are ignoring him while he talks to himself (not hanging on his every word as in the add).3. There just no point picking on Randall's art anymore. Crappy art is his signature now.

I think, as Kirk said near the top, the only way to signifigantly improve this comic is using wordplay. At least say the "unintersting" things in a witty way, or a way resembling the silly impossibilities of language in the original add. Then I may have actually laughed. And this would have been filed under the rare category of "good recent XKCD comics"

Dear Mr. Chris Lord, Please take solace in the support of the masses of truly sophisticated and intellectually unstunted fans of xkcd who appreciate your championing of our dearest Dr. Munroe. Do not allow their projection onto your wise words of their own paradoxical parodying of Dr. Munroe's munificence towards the unwashed unworthies of the internet to sap your strength. Some still subscribe to sanity's insistent summons that such sharpness and sense of satire as is supplied by Dr. Munroe is precious and necessary. Know that I am with you, Dear Mr. Lord, and fight on.

I enjoy the Dos Equis ads but still didn't pick up on the parody until the narrator's bit of the last panel. I wonder, if it were done with more of the flair of the ads, would the complaint be that he'd reinvented the "for great justice!" meme? Anyway, I liked the last two panels, but the first two got bogged down in explaining the joke.

For 622, the flying was too over the top for me, but that's ok. My only real complaint is, as others said, the poem made no sense. Taking the poem that Clare shared with us and Randall Munroe's original comic (and a bit from 154), here's an alternative approach. Imagine that the alt text were, "After the 48-hour sleep-dep mark, lectures get really interesting." I imagine it's the female student speaking in the alt text.

actually, your wiki article (which, trust me, I have read and know quite well) says that 5-7-5 is an acceptable form; it does not make something a haiku. 5-7-5 is neither necessary nor sufficient to a haiku.

I've always thought that the seasonal reference and the caesura were more important in creating a haiku than the count. But since most people learn haikus in grade school, the more complex part gets lost.

Rob, I do not understand why this discussion of haiku makes you so defensive. Is it some deep seated hatred for a teacher who failed a haiku you made, or perhaps does it stem from a break up letter written in 5-7-5?

james wrote exclusively 5-7-5 haiku, because he thinks that is what a haiku is. it is a trait he shares with randy, apparently! 5-7-5 is not, by and large, a constraint that people who know about haiku use.

i'm not sure where you're getting the whole 'liar' idea, but if that helps you sleep at night. i'm sure your first grade teacher didn't know she was teaching you inaccurately, if it helps.

also: are you not capable of finding a dismissive conclusion that doesn't end with some variation of 'thanks for playing?' seriously, there are so many to choose from. thanks for playing really only works like once. it was a stretch when i did it.

hugs and kisses!rob

OH PS yes i am obviously just doing this to be a dick. consider yourself trolled

Rob gave up on wearing belts years ago. His mom still calls him handsome.Rob's fingers are more dangerously cheesy than Cheetos.Rob's fingers are more dangerously cheesy than Cheetos.Rob brushes his teeth with lard.Rob once tried to stimulate his anus with a carrot stick. He soon gave up and ate it with some ranchRob is the admin of Mcdonalds.rob is the admin of gravity.i was like, yo mamma is so fat. turned out yo mamma was robrob is so fat that when his thighs rub together it sparks and makes forest fires in australiabut hes so fat that he never moves enough for his thighs to rub togetherbut hes so fat that he never moves enough for his thighs to rub together. thats why australia still existsHIS BELT IS THE EQUATORRob doesn't care it's not butterRob has a high cholesterol and doesn't exercise on a regular basis.rob has diabetes and an overactive thyroidhe has more chins than a chinese phonebookwhen rob stood on the scales it said too be continued.Rob is so fat, he eats lots.rob is so fat he was baptized in Sea World.rob is so fat, people jog around him for exercise.rob is so fat he needs a VCR for a pager

rob is so fat that his belly button makes an echo

rob is so fat his cerial bowl comes with a lifeguardRob's so fat that every time he takes a step it causes an earthquake in SpainRob is so fat he was mistaken for a giant lizard-reptile when he went to Tokyo.

"Roll Over the Belt. Girls who wear tight shirts and have a roll of fat that goes over her belt is a ROB. 1: Dude, check out that girl, she looks dope! 2: Forget it, you've got your beer goggles on, she's a ROB!"

"Rob - One who is an over controlling and self-assured jerk. Can also be described as a person who is likely to brag about his newest Statistics vocabulary to make himself seem smarter.

A Rob- Well you see since the sample size is so large I can calculate with a 95% confidence that we will see a ten percent to fifteen percent on our ability to......

Normal person- "Shut up!!! Your being such a Rob!!!"

"Synonymous to 'rage'. Hence, to 'Rob' is to rage, and gives rise to such terms as 'Rob quitting' and 'ROB ROB ROB ROB' Rob: "Guys, I'm not in the mood" Someone Else: "That's what she said" Rob: "That's it, I'm out."

*Server: Rob has left the server* Someone Else: "Dude awesome he just Rob quit. "

So Rob, out of curiosity (and since this very topic has surfaced here at least once before), what ARE the necessary properties of haiku such that not every 5-7-5 sequence is a haiku, and conversely? Because I was under the impression that 5-7-5 was simply the definition of a certain type of (modern, Anglicized) haiku, just as "14 lines, iambic pentameter, ABAB CDCD EFEF GG" is the definition of a certain type of sonnet (Shakespearean*, as opposed to Italian etc.). Ain't no rule says the poem has to be good in order to qualify, right?

*(And yes, I do realize that few of Shakespeare's sonnets don't follow that format precisely.)

I am not sure why it took my post, rather than Randall's original comment, to start the Haiku Wars, but it did! Rob, you are basically objecting to writing doggerel in haiku form. (And yes, I do know that haiku is more than just syllables.)

as far as I'm concerned the defining characteristic of a haiku is that you call it a haiku--I am a poet in the school of "if you say so." though in my experience the 5/7/5 is an unnecessary restriction and they are often much more elegant without it. and I am willing to bet that Randy thinks that 5/7/5 is necessary and sufficient for a haiku, because he is the wrong type of nerd to know shit about poetry.

I actually found this thread by looking for a specific comic (and thanks for helping me find it), but I think you all need to go find something better to do with your time. Maybe learn how to play an instrument, or even just go smoke some pot in your basement. He writes a comic. If you don't like it, don't read it. Its not like its so ubiquitous you can't avoid it. Whining about it won't stop him from continuing to write them.

Actually, Randall just told one of us that every time he reads this site it makes him not want to draw comics for a few days. So whining actually will help stop him. Thanks for playing! Better luck next time.

What the hell is this?

Welcome. This is a website called XKCD SUCKS which is about the webcomic xkcd and why we think it sucks. My name is Carl and I used to write about it all the time, then I stopped because I went insane, and now other people write about it all the time. I forget their names. The posts still seem to be coming regularly, but many of the structural elements - like all the stuff in this lefthand pane - are a bit outdated. What can I say? Insane, etc.

I started this site because it had been clear to me for a while that xkcd is no longer a great webcomic (though it once was). Alas, many of its fans are too caught up in the faux-nerd culture that xkcd is a part of, and can't bring themselves to admit that the comic, at this point, is terrible. While I still like a new comic on occasion, I feel that more and more of them need the Iron Finger of Mockery knowingly pointed at them. This used to be called "XKCD: Overrated", but then it fell from just being overrated to being just horrible. Thus, xkcd sucks.

Here is a comic about me that Ann made. It is my favorite thing in the world.

Frequently Asked Questions

Divided into two convenient categories, based on whether you think this website

Rob's Rants

When he's not flipping a shit over prescriptivist and descriptivist uses of language, xkcdsucks' very own Rob likes writing long blocks of text about specific subjects. Here are some of his excellent refutations of common responses to this site. Think of them as a sort of in-depth FAQ, for people inclined to disagree with this site.